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Life in Alaska


AKwelder

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7 hours ago, AKwelder said:

She burns 30,000 gallons a day, and can you say "GET SOME!"  Step 6 in the start up procedure is to call and order 100,000 of fuel.   The fuel meter looks like the Grizwold's electric meter on Christmas Eve.  It is crazy how much the legacy pumps would do

I had no clue. I knew the one at the flooded mines had tankers coming all the time, but 30,000/day is wild. Thanks for the info.

Love your thread

D

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3 hours ago, Dave McCallister said:

I had no clue. I knew the one at the flooded mines had tankers coming all the time, but 30,000/day is wild. Thanks for the info.

Love your thread

D

Thanks.  Glad you all enjoy it

 

Here is the station power 

IMG_4265.thumb.JPG.7322ffcacc056eccbd227f7f8d7f9bfb.JPG

this picture is a running IH Solar Saturn generator still powering the station today, produces 800Kw and runs great.  There are over 94,000 hours on the control panel, but we don't know how many times it's been rebuilt or the engine swapped. I dont think this engine has been swapped since 2011, and has been running since last year non-stop so they will shut it down soon for routine maintenance.  She burns though 1200 gallons a day.  They were great when the price of diesel was so low because they are so reliable.  Now they are not very economical to run on liquid fuels. The one they have at Pump station 2 has been running on natural gas and I heard they had gone 18 months without shutting it down. 

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Holy Guacamole  ! ! !     30 thousand gallons a day     My knees get weak when I have to fill my 110 gal truck tank....

Great pix AK

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8 hours ago, yellowrosefarm said:

So at pump price, about $1,000,000/year for the fuel?  Love seeing the pictures of all this interesting stuff and amazed at the snow. It was 86 here last weekend.

I think your a bit low, it's a $60,000 to $120,000  a day when you pay 2 to 4 dollars a gallon. Now remeber they get a volume discount, and how, but they truck the fuel three hours each way for this station.   So if we run it for 30 days at 60,000 a day it's 1,800,000 a month.   That Solar is a miser compared to the Rolls

 

glad you enjoy the pictures

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9 hours ago, AKwelder said:

I think your a bit low, it's a $60,000 to $120,000  a day when you pay 2 to 4 dollars a gallon. Now remeber they get a volume discount, and how, but they truck the fuel three hours each way for this station.   So if we run it for 30 days at 60,000 a day it's 1,800,000 a month.   That Solar is a miser compared to the Rolls

 

glad you enjoy the pictures

I think he was talking about the IH Solar. 1200*2.5*365= approx $1mil. Love the pics and info about your travels. Any other pics of the Solar? I assume that it provides all electrical power for the station? Any other generator for a backup? Thanks

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4 hours ago, 12_Guy said:

I think he was talking about the IH Solar. 1200*2.5*365= approx $1mil. Love the pics and info about your travels. Any other pics of the Solar? I assume that it provides all electrical power for the station? Any other generator for a backup? Thanks

That makes more sense, than, sorry for the mix up.  The pipeline and its pump stations were designed when fuel was cheap and the best reliability was a turbine.  It's an interesting to me because that is why IH was into turbines.  The original pipeline had no power or pumps that were piston engines, all turbines.  

 

there is a second Solar in the next building, and then a small diesel generator in a van that does not have the snort to power the whole station, but keeps things going until they get the Solar lit.  Most of the critical items on station have a battery back up, can run without power, or like the rolls royce can make thier own power

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Drove in last night, the hills were freshly snow capped and it was bright

IMG_4266.thumb.JPG.e18d76d68ceedf204342bd9c51f7054e.JPG

 

pictures dont do so well

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  • 2 weeks later...

After another week in a half out of town I finished up and drove in Monday, took the kids trick or treating tonight and heading to Minnesota for surgery with my oldest boy . He is getting good at sleeping in airports

 

We should have diner at moms house, then up in the morning and off to surgery across the cities.  My tail is starting to drag

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Sledgehammer said:

Best of luck to you guys and his surgery.  Will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

Thank you.  

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8 hours ago, Sledgehammer said:

Best of luck to you guys and his surgery.  Will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

X2 

Prayers for good results 

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15 hours ago, bitty said:

X2 

Prayers for good results 

Thank you  bitty, I appreciate it

 

Just drove across Minneapolis metro and got to the hospital, left early just in case the traffic was bad.  My boys is asleep in the back seat which is best since he can't eat or drink.  We go in in about an hour, start pre op at 10:30, surgery at 12:30 hopefully out by 3:30

 

We will go to the Mall of America afterwards and have a kids favorite meal, Burger King whopper 

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16 minutes ago, hillskinefarms said:

Hope all goes well with your son.

This might be a stupid question, but is there Burger King in Alaska?

Thank you

 

and regarding BK, None in fairbanks anymore, so we are deprived of whoppers?

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Update.  We have had a successful surgery and have gotten back to Mom and Dads. Thank you all for you thoughts, prayers, and wishes. 

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38 minutes ago, 12_Guy said:

That's good news! Will be thinking of you folks. Hope for a speedy recovery. Safe travels. 

Thank you

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27 minutes ago, TroyDairy said:

Good deal.  He has to have something every so often right?  Chest related....iirc

This is my oldest, he has vascular issues in his right leg.  Right now we are on 3 surgerys  a year. That can change as the doc recommends.   While in the womb he had a embryonic vascular system in his leg, and he grew his normal vascular system.  With the rest of us the embryonic system dies off, his didn't.   With two vascular systems and one arterial system there is potential for problems.  But it turns out that his grandparents live 45 minutes from one of the worlds experts, Gods  answers prayers

 

my youngest boy has a chest issue, his shoulders and ribs are twisted on his spine, it seems to be very minor and not bothering him

 

thank you all

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